So Far From You
by Storm-fox8
Summary: Rose wakes up one morning to find herself at home, so where is the Doctor? Whilst she becomes distraught over whether he ever even existed, can the Doctor overcome the grip of an overly confident alien race and reach Rose before time runs out? 10DrRose
1. Dreams And Nightmares

_**A/N: My first Doctor Who fan fiction! And my first fan fiction in a long time, so sorry if its bad, I'm really out of practice! Darn exams. Anyway, I am completely obsessed with Doctor Who, and I love the Rose/Doctor pairing, so here is my first attempt at a 10Doctor/Rose story :D Enjoy!**_

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**SO FAR FROM YOU**

Chapter 1

Dreams and Nightmares

_A far off world…_

_Running, always running…_

_Stars, planets, so many different creatures…_

_A man, smiling broadly at her, hands stuffed in his trouser pockets, long coat rippling in a foreign wind…_

'_Run…'_

"Doctor…" Rose croaked groggily, shifting under the sheets. Slowly she sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and pushing aside the warm quilt. She looked around her room through half opened eyes, glancing at her familiar wardrobe, her pink wallpaper, the jumble of clothes strewn across the floor.

Then she looked again.

She was in her bedroom… but how? She tussled with the tangled sheets in her panic, falling out of bed and stumbling across the room to her window. Tearing open the curtains, she winced as bright light struck her in the eyes and peered out across the street. She could see people going about their daily routine like nothing in the world was wrong; the man who lived across the road was getting into his car and setting off for work, the postman was delivering unknown letters to the house opposite, the kids were running down the street playing tag with each other. She really was home. Her heart began to race as confusion and a hint of fear flooded her mind.

"Rose?" She jumped as Jackie's voice sounded from beyond her door, "Rose are you up yet?" She sounded just like she always did- or had used to- first thing in the morning, nagging her to wake up. Rose went out to meet her, footsteps hesitant as if her mother's voice would lead her out of this illusion and into a trap. But no ambush greeted her, no fierce monsters or alien technology, just the irritated expression on her mothers face.

"You're not even dressed yet?" she sighed, exasperated.

"Mum… what's going on?" Rose asked quietly, her voice trembling. The only answer she received was a raised eyebrow. "What's going on, why am I here? Where's the Doctor?"

"What _are _you on about?"

"The Doctor? Where is he?" She said louder, fear growing with every unanswered question.

"Oh, enough of this rubbish Rose. Now hurry up, you're gonna be late for work!" Jackie attempted to bustle her out of the room, but Rose grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"Wait… where do I work?" Jackie just looked at her. "Mum, just tell me okay?"

"That bleedin' department store Henriks! Where you drinking last night or something? Now get a move on!"

"But that's… that's impossible…" Jackie turned to look at her, confusion clouding her face, "it blew up… it… it's gone…" Rose mumbled to herself. She barged past Jackie and approached the scruffy calendar hanging off the wall. "No… that can't be right…" The small dates told her it was the very day that her job had been blown up, the day her life had been turned upside down.

The day she had met him.

"Rose what's going on sweetheart?" Rose turned around, tears welling in her eyes. "oh… come here," Jackie gripped her in a tight hug as Rose began to sob into her shoulder. They clung onto each other taking in the comfort of each others warmth, both afraid and unsure of what was going on. When she couldn't stand it any longer Jackie pulled Rose off her and looked her determinedly in the eyes. "Now are you going to tell me why you're crying?" She asked firmly.

"You don't remember him? You honestly don't remember the Doctor?" Rose managed between sobs, tears streaming down her face.

"Doctor who?" Rose just stared at her mother. Where could she even begin to tell her who the Doctor was? "And what were you going on about that store blowing up?"

"This is gonna sound so crazy… but…" Rose paused, contemplating how to put it, "The Doctor, he rescued me from these monsters that invaded Earth, and he blew up the department store… and… I dunno I helped him stop them and then he asked me to come travel with him… but…" Her mother just looked at her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Rose cringed as she continued, "He… he's an alien, and he had this… time machine… and I went with him,"

"Rose… do you not just think you were dreaming all this?" Jackie asked sympathetically. Rose looked at her incredulously.

"I know I wasn't dreaming mum! I know it sounds crazy but you've got to believe me!" Rose yelled, nerves and frustration getting the better of her.

"Rose you're going on about aliens and time machines, what do you expect?"

"So what, you think I'm just making all this up, or I'm crazy or something?"

"No I think you've got an overactive imagination and you had a vivid dream last night!" Rose sighed heavily, head in her hands. "Cause that's all it could have been love! Just a dream!"

"But it can't have been, just _can't _have… I've been with him for ages… I don't even know how long… must have been months…" she mumbled.

"Anything can happen in your dreams Rose," Jackie said more comfortingly, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder. This was the sort of conversation you should be having with a ten year old who'd come crying about a nightmare of monsters haunting their sleep.

"He was just too… I don't know. How would you even start to describe him?" She smiled despite herself. "Being with him, it was incredible. _He_ was incredible. My imaginations not _that _good." She refused to believe it could have been a dream. It had all just been too real. Even now she could see his smiling face, could feel the emotion in his eyes- just as easily as she could see her mother standing in front of her now, her eyes shadowed with fear.

A thought suddenly struck Rose, a spark of hope like someone lighting a small fire on a frosty night. She rushed to the door, leaving her bewildered mother behind and sprinting out of the flat. Maybe there was a chance… just maybe…

She frantically tackled the stairs, ignoring the cold ground biting at her bare feet and ran out into the street.

The empty street.

Her eyes scanned every corner, every alcove, every inch of the road but nothing and no one was to be seen. Her heart plummeted. A part of her- just a small, nagging piece of her heart- had expected to find a blue box standing tall and proud against the bland street, the Doctor standing in its doorway, hand reaching out for her own, his mischievous smile promising thrill and adventure. A memory of the whirring sound of the TARDIS departing echoed around her head- it had left her. He had left her. Or had he even been here?

"NO!" She screamed to the empty street, "He's real! I know he is…" she fell to her knees, fresh tears flooding her face, drowning her in her sorrows. "Doctor…" her voice reduced to a whisper of utter despair.

She was only distantly aware of someone approaching her, wrapping a cosy dressing gown around her shoulders and guiding her back to the flat. Before she even realised where she was she had been returned to bed with a steaming cup of tea, and was soon drifting into a troubled sleep.

xoxoxoxoxo

Rose slowly came to to the sound of the television on in the next room. After a moment of confusion and disorientation she remembered with a sinking heart where she was. She had half expected it all to have been a dream of a dream, and to wake up and find that she'd fallen asleep at the TARDIS console, with the Doctor telling them they'd arrived at some alien planet. But no such luck. Her clock told her it was 9:30pm- she must have slept through the whole day.

She had seen him in her dreams, just standing there looking at her. His eyes had been full of determination and his expression serious, almost frightened. It made her feel uneasy, especially since she was now having doubts about her sanity. The events of that morning were just a surreal blur she didn't even want to think about. All she wanted was to have him here with her, to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be alright and he would always be there for her. But he had never said that. He had never promised that he wouldn't leave her one day, but surely he wouldn't end it like this?

Deciding she wasn't going to be able to sleep she got up to investigate what her mother was watching. As she entered the living room she could see Jackie sitting curled up on the sofa, anxiously gripping a cup of tea and watching the news. Wait a minute… her mum watching the news? Something was not right here.

"Rose!" Jackie sat up as she noticed Rose standing in the doorway, "I didn't want to wake you but look!" she pointed desperately at the screen, "you were right! You said that was going to happen!" Rose gaped in awe at the current headline- there had been a huge explosion at the department store where she had once worked, exactly as she remembered it. Once again that spark of hope filled her, and she smiled slightly. Maybe, just maybe that meant he was here after all!

"I couldn't believe it when I saw it," Jackie's voice brought her back to reality, "Just kept thinking to myself that you'd dreamt that," She clearly couldn't think of a way around it, it was completely baffling her.

"But mum, it wasn't a dream," she replied firmly.

"Oh come on Rose, I thought with a bit of sleep you would have come around from all that. You didn't half frighten me earlier; it was like you were having a nervous breakdown in the middle of the street!" Rose let it go, at least now she might have a chance of proving herself. She tried hard to think back to when she had first met him. The next time she had seen him after the explosion was at her own flat- she could just recall seeing his bewildered face peering through the cat flap. So she would have to wait for him to come to her.

And she would. She would wait for him forever. Although a nagging voice in her head was asking her, maybe if she hadn't met him in the first place, he wouldn't come looking for her. And even then, that was the wrong Doctor, how would it all work? Would she have to travel with him again, defeat all the same enemies, see him die and regenerate all over again? She'd rather have that than the alternative but even that wouldn't work. What would be the explanation for her knowing the resolution to their mission as soon as they arrived? And then at the end of it all would she end up back here again? Trapped in a time loop forever?

She shook her head. She was thinking too hard about it. All she wanted was to see him again, to have him with her, so she would wait.

And wait she did. She sat by the door all the next day, just waiting for the telltale clatter of him attempting to look through the small cat flap, but it never came. As the sky darkened Jackie finally succeeded in persuading her to move away from the door. Now all sorts of thoughts were running through Rose's mind. Did that mean that no one would be there to stop the living plastic? Or was he out there by himself defeating them without her?

"Look Rose, I'm just gonna pop down to the store and-"

"No! You can't go out there, those plastic creatures, they're going to-" Rose began to protest, but Jackie cut her off.

"Look Rose, it's time you started accepting it! There is no Doctor, or aliens or any of that. That department store blew up from unsafe wiring or some dodgy building work, not because of an alien attack! It. Was. A. Dream." Jackie gasped for breath, glaring at Rose. "You said it yourself he was supposed to turn up here, so where is he?"

"I… I don't know…" Rose stuttered, tears welling in her eyes. Maybe… he hadn't come at all…

But a dream… was it possible? She ran to her room and threw herself onto her bed, tears streaming down her cheeks all over again. She buried her face into her pillow. Was this what the rest of her life was going to be like? Longing for the memory of someone who might not even exist?

Once more she was giving in to sleep, and before she had even lost consciousness she could see his face again, just staring as he had before.

"Doctor…" she mumbled, as her world turned black.

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_A/N: Well, is anyone intrigued? Reviews make me happy :D And any constructive crit is welcome, cause I know I haven't written in ages and am probably very rusty XD Thanks for reading, will try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can!_**


	2. A Different Kind Of Doctor

**_A/N: Thanks to the people who reviewed, Tai Greywing- I'm impressed! You really thought hard about it! I do intend to answer all your questions, I just hope it's not all too farfetched in the end XD Thanks for the review! Here's the next chapter :D_**

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Chapter 2

A Different Kind of Doctor

There he was again, looking at her with that sense of determination that to anybody else would be intimidating- but not to her. To her it was reassuring. It told her he was real, and he would return to her no matter what it took. But his eyes betrayed his fear. A fear that chilled her to the core, hinting that maybe she was losing him forever. But he was just so clear, if she could just reach out to him…

Rose stirred awake, the Doctor instantly fading away. She was still seeing him in her dreams, surely that had to mean something? It had been a few days since she had woken to find herself at home as if the Doctor had never existed, and there had been no sign of the Autons attempting to overthrow Earth. With every day that passed she became more uncertain as to whether it really had all just been a dream. Part of her was furious at herself for even considering that she'd dreamt it all, whereas another part of her rationalised that the chances of it having been real seemed just plain impossible.

She felt like she had been torn in two, and was slowly driving herself mad. She knew for a fact that her mother had cast 'the Doctor' aside, dismissing her stories of time travel with an unimpressed wave of her hand. Rose even considered that maybe Jackie did remember him, but she finally had Rose back and didn't want her leaving her again. But deep down she knew her mum wouldn't do that to her, she just wanted her to be happy after all.

But right now she was about as far away from happy that she could possibly imagine. Jackie had noticed this and it was troubling her. Rose's usual spark of enthusiasm had left her eyes, leaving them dull and empty and revealing her broken heart. She had to do something about it. Her talk of aliens and space were so frightening- how could Rose believe it had been real?

That morning- just as Rose had gathered the energy to heave herself out of bed- Jackie returned to the flat laden with carrier bags, after a quick shop at the local supermarket,

"Morning sweetheart, feeling any better?" She asked kindly. Rose just shook her head miserably. She felt sorry for putting her mum through this, but she felt too distraught to put on a brave face.

"Well I just saw Tina in Tesco's and she was telling me about this Doctor, Diane Woods. She's new, lives not far from here but Tina said she was incredible. Helped her get over breaking up with Robert. You should have seen the difference in her!"

"Wait a minute, are you suggesting that I go and see a psychiatrist about this?" Rose asked, incredulously. She cringed internally at the cruel irony of her going to see a doctor.

"Oh Rose, I knew you'd react like this. I just want to help you love! Its tearing me apart seeing you moping around all day like everything you love has been destroyed!"

"And who's to say it hasn't?" she retorted viciously.

"Do I really mean that little to you?" Jackie said hurtfully. Rose sighed, she didn't have the strength or will power to argue about this.

"Alright, look. If it makes you feel better I'll go see this person, okay?" Jackie smiled in satisfaction.

"You shouldn't be so cynical about it anyway," she returned to gossiping, "Tina said she can really read minds, like a psychic or something." She explained, sounding genuinely fascinated.

"And you thought me talking about time travel was crazy…" Rose muttered under her breath.

xoxoxoxoxo

A few hours later Rose found herself approaching the residence of Doctor Diane Woods. All sorts of thoughts ran through her mind. What was she even going to say to her? She'd probably be patronising if she told her the truth. She could imagine it now- her sitting in one of those huge armchairs, hair tied tightly back, glasses half way down her nose as she scribbled away in a small posh note book, listening as Rose described her adventures with the Doctor.

Rose anxiously made her way up the small path, gravel crunching under her feet. She glanced at the posh plaque on the door that announced Doctor Woods name, before hesitantly pressing the small doorbell. She half hoped that there would be no answer as she stood there waiting, but soon a small face appeared around the door, and smiled warmly at her.

"Hello!" Diane said in a friendly voice, offering a handshake. She had a kindly face, although not forced or like one of those types of person who are overly happy all the time- just the face of someone who was pleasant to be with. She was a bit shorter than Rose, and looked to be in her late 20s, straight chestnut brown hair layered to frame her face.

"Hi, erm, my mum made me an appointment for me, I'm Rose Tyler," Rose muttered nervously, returning the gesture half heartedly and attempting a shaky smile.

"Nice to meet you Rose, I'm Diane," she smiled genuinely, gesturing for her to come inside. Rose felt her nerves sooth as she stepped inside. It was just her home- the poshness ended at the door with her name plate. It just felt so normal and cosy, it was difficult to remain anxious.

Nevertheless thoughts still raced through her head as she was offered a seat on the squishy sofa and a hot cup of tea. Once they were both settled and had properly introduced themselves to each other, Rose began to tell her her troubles.

"My mum thinks I'm crazy you see, and I'm not even sure myself anymore. I woke up a few days ago and… and I'd had this… dream, but it felt so real, like I'd really experienced it all. But my mum didn't believe a word I said, and I guess I can't blame her…" she struggled, not knowing whether she should tell this woman about the Doctor and her travels. Diane looked at her and nodded reassuringly, but Rose noticed another look in her eyes that she couldn't quite place. It was almost like she had just sensed something that unnerved her, and she suddenly seemed distracted. "I don't know, it's so hard to explain…"

"Well," Diane said after a moments pause, "I think I need to know about this in more detail." Her tone of voice had changed slightly, although Rose felt like she trusted her. "With many of the people that have come to see me I have used a new technique, that most people I suppose would call 'reading their minds'" she said smiling slightly. Rose shifted uneasily in her seat- was it safe to let her? Would it put the Doctor in any risk? Maybe it would clarify whether it really had been just a dream and she wouldn't see anything at all. That was if it was even possible for her to 'read her mind' in the first place of course, but after what she'd seen with the Doctor she felt anything could be possible.

"Don't worry about it though," Diane continued, noticing Roses unease, "I won't look at anything private or unnecessary, and I most definitely won't share anything I see with anyone outside of this room. If there is anything in particular that you don't want me to see, just imagine a door in front of those memories, and close it." Rose nodded acceptingly although a little confused. She could see that Diane still seemed a bit distant, perhaps even nervous.

Diane took a deep breath, and ever so gently placed her hands either side of Roses head. She closed her eyes and Rose felt her enter her mind, she actually _felt _it. It was such an indescribable sensation. However, almost as suddenly as she felt her enter her mind, she felt her presence leave, although she could still feel her lingering somewhere inside her head. Confused, she looked at Diane's face- her eyes were still tight shut, and she had a look of deep concentration on her face.

Abruptly she jumped back from Rose in fear, standing up and hastily backing away from her. She looked at Rose with fear in her eyes, not saying a word.

"What? What happened?" Rose said timidly, tension building up inside her. When Diane didn't say a word Rose attempted to get up and approach her but she jumped back, almost like a small mouse trembling in the shadow of a cat. "I don't mean you any harm or anything," Rose tried to reassure her, not knowing what to do.

When Diane still refused to speak, Rose just muttered, "I think I'll just go then…" and hurried out of the door.

xoxoxoxoxo

A short while later Jackie heard the tell tale sound of Rose entering the flat and dropping heavily into a sofa chair in the living room. "Oh you're back already?" She called, coming into the room to greet her, "How did it go love?" Her face dropped when she saw Rose's expression. She sighed. "What's happened now?"

"Don't say it like that it wasn't my fault," Rose moaned, "She was just a complete nutter. I thought she was dead nice at first but then she tried to _'read my mind'" _she said in a mocking voice, "and then stopped dead like she'd seen a ghost. Couldn't get a single word out of her, so I left. Fat lot of good that did me." Jackie sighed again.

"Oh well, it was worth a shot. Strange though, Tina was really singing her praises before."

"Unless… she really saw something in my mind…" Jackie chose to ignore her, and went off to continue fussing about in the kitchen, leaving Rose alone to think. Rose supposed it was possible that Diane had seen her memories of the Doctor and the aliens- that would be scary enough for someone to react like that wouldn't it?

Once again she found herself questioning the possibility of whether her time travelling days had been real or not. When was this going to end?

xoxoxoxoxo

Later that night, after Jackie had gone out with Martin- the guy she met last week at that quiz night at the pub- for a meal Rose had just settled down in front of the television with a bag of chips, when she heard a knock at the door. She threw down her chips in frustration and marched over to the door, ranting, "who the hell is that at this time of night," to herself. However when she opened the door she was astonished to see the fearful face of Diane Woods, standing nervously outside.

"Hello, I'm sorry it's late but… can I come in?" she said nervously.

"Yeh of course," Rose invited her in. She was the last person she would have expected to find standing on her doorstep, especially after what had happened earlier.

Once Rose had sat her down in the living room, she asked her the question she had been itching for an answer to, "When you… read my mind before, I was wondering. Did you see him? The Doctor that is, the one I was… erm _dreaming_ about…" she said uncertainly. Diane looked up at her.

"I didn't just see him…" she muttered.

"What?" Rose asked confused.

"I spoke to him…"

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**_A/N: I was planning on having the next chapter in this one as well, but I thought that was a nice and cliffhangery place to leave it XD Also I hope someone noticed the quote from 'The Girl In The Fireplace' XD I was going to have Rose react to that, realising that the Doctor had said it when I realised that she was never in the room when he actually said that. Still I thought it added a nice touch, so I decided to keep it in :D Please keep reading and review!_**


	3. So Close Yet So Far

**_A/N: Tai Greywing, you continue to impress me! I like the way you think:D You get more answers in this chapter, and even more in the next, so just keep reading! Thanks for all the amazing reviews!_**

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Chapter 3

So Close Yet So Far

Rose looked at her in shock. "You… did what?"

"I talked to the Doctor…" Diane seemed just as disbelieving of it as Rose did.

"But how… you were just going to read my mind or something,"

"Well… I could feel something reaching out from you, like the essence of something calling out for me. I was so confused, so I decided to enter your mind and see what it was that was causing this feeling." Rose gaped in awe at her, a feeling of elation burning up inside of her.

"When I entered your mind I could see him, the Doctor. He spoke of the TARDIS, how you had an unexplainable connection with it since you looked into the time vortex and that it was somehow connecting you with him. It was allowing him to talk to me through you telepathically." Diane shook her head in disbelief.

"But you were so afraid, when you read my mind why didn't you tell me any of this then?" Rose interrogated, irritated at not having been told this sooner.

"How would you feel if you went to read someone's mind and ended up having a conversation with someone?" Diane retorted hurtfully. Rose suppressed the urge to mention that she would have no idea what that would feel like seeing as she wasn't psychic.

"So what made you come back?"

"He's a Time Lord… how could I refuse a request from a time lord? I thought they were all gone…" she drifted off, looking distant.

"But what else did he tell you?" Rose urged her on.

"He said he needs me to help you build something, so that he can talk to you himself. He said, he promises he'll find you, he's going to get you back no matter what." Rose couldn't help but smile. At last she was making progress, and he was real! Deep down she had known all along he was real and he was going to come back to her!

"Well then… lets get building!" Rose replied cheerfully, her spark of enthusiasm returned to her eyes.

xoxoxoxoxo

It was much later on when Jackie returned to a most unusual sight- her daughter and Doctor Woods where sat around the living room surrounded by a collection of what looked like machinery parts.

"what the hell is going on here?" Rose and Diane looked up in surprise.

"Mum!" Rose leapt up and grabbed Jackie into a huge hug, beaming happily. "He's real! The Doctor, it was all real!"

"what?" Jackie was so confused- although it was good to see Rose happy and like her normal self again, what was with the sudden change of mood? "What makes you think that then?" Rose smiled and looked towards Diane. "And why's she here?" So Rose sat Jackie down and with the help of Diane she explained everything that had happened.

"So it was all true?" Jackie said once they had finished, mouth agape. "How is that possible?" Rose shrugged.

"The important thing is doing what the Doctor says, so we've got to get all these parts." Rose handed her a rough list. "I think we've got most of it, just everyday simple things really. Amazing how you can put all this random stuff together to make something so advanced." Rose said in awe, thinking back to the time when the Doctor had invented a video recorder in 1953 with just what he could find lying around an old television store.

So that was what the next few days consisted of- Rose and Diane working together to build what the Doctor had instructed. Rose actually found that she got on very well with Diane, and felt she had made a strong friend in her. That evening Diane had left to go and collect the final part they needed, leaving Rose adding the few finishing touches. Jackie sat back on the sofa watching her, cup of tea in hand, contemplating the last weeks events. She looked at Roses face- she was so intensely focused on what she was doing, as if the whole building could collapse around her and she wouldn't notice.

"Do you love him?" She asked, abruptly breaking the silence.

"What?" Rose replied, not turning away from her work.

"The Doctor? Do you love him?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"Cause you seem so broken without him." she said simply. "And because I'm your mum of course."

"Well… I dunno…" Rose answered, still not looking at her.

"Oh stop avoiding the question!" Jackie teased, "Do you or not?"

"I said I don't know!" Rose replied, finally turning to stare defiantly at her mum. "I care about him. A lot. I mean of course I do, I was travelling with him for months, and we've been through so much together." Jackie smiled at her warmly. Rose honestly hadn't ever thought about it, but she wasn't going to be given the chance. Diane burst in through the door, and ran over to Rose clutching onto the last part as if it were made of gold.

Rose felt a rush of adrenaline as they completed the small machine, fixing everything together before standing back to admire their work. Rose beamed with indescribable joy.

"Right, now what exactly is it that we do with it?" She asked Diane.

"I think… it's to project some sort of hologram…" She concluded, after staring at the item for some time. "It's exactly as the Doctor said it should be,"

"So what now, do we just wait?" Diane shrugged. As if on cue the machine sparked into life, whirring slightly. Jackie jumped off the sofa and moved over to the two girls, who also backed away hesitantly.

"What's it doing that for?" Jackie flustered. Rose held up a hand to silence her, staring intently at the machine. An image was forming in front of them, slowly but surely. Jackie gasped in awe, Diane stared fascinated and Rose's eyes widened as a life size image of the Doctor appeared before them. It crackled with interference, the image slightly fuzzy and blue tinged.

"Doctor?" Rose spoke, barely audible, unsure of whether the image would respond or not.

"Rose?" His voice crackled as the sound was tuned to perfection. She smiled like she'd never smiled before. "Rose!" His face reflected her own- an expression of pure joy at seeing her face again. Rose instinctively moved towards the image, wanting nothing more than to lose herself in his arms. But she stopped short, that's all it was- just an image. Both their smiles faded, he knew exactly what was going through her mind. "I'm so sorry Rose."

"But what for? What's going on?" she asked, her eyes never leaving his.

"The TARDIS flew into a trap, set up by an alien race called the Croulahrrs. They put you here, and… and I don't know how yet…" he trailed off, furious at himself for not knowing.

"But… wait a minute, who are the Croulahrrs? And _why _did they put me here?" She questioned, desperate for answers.

"They wanted me. So they wanted to get rid of you so they could have me." his voice was calm, but his eyes showed his fury, "And you're not where you think are, otherwise I would have come for you long ago."

"What do you mean? I'm at home, with my mum-"

"No, you're not." He cut her off, sighing deeply. "You see they were cleverer than that. They knew there was a chance I would escape them, and of course I did," he boasted, gaining a smile from Rose, "So they put you in the only place I cannot reach." He paused, looking at her sorrowfully.

"And where's that?" Rose prompted him nervously, terrified of what the answer might be.

"Do you remember, when the time vortex just dropped out of the TARDIS and we landed in that strange world that was almost exactly the same as Earth, but with the blimps and all that?" she nodded urgently, "They put you- and god only knows how," he waved his arms to express his disbelief, "in a parallel world, identical to Earth in many ways, apart from the fact that I was never there."

"But you said that… travel between parallel worlds…"

"Is impossible." he sighed heavily, unable to look her in the eyes any longer. Rose took a deep breath, eyes filling with tears.

"Doctor, I don't blame you for any of this okay?" She told him firmly. He still didn't look at her. "Doctor I know you'll find a way, you always do! I mean it may have been by accident but we have done it before," she attempted to reassure him, in an attempt to reassure herself at the same time. He finally looked her in the eyes, and she could see the pain behind them. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he didn't have the slightest clue where to start.

He turned briefly to Diane, "Thank you for helping us," she nodded, "please look after her,"

"Oi, since when did I need looking after?" Rose said grinning cheekily.

"Since I'm not there. Besides she's a stronger ally than any humans you'll find out there."

"What do you mean, _any humans_?" Rose looked at him bewildered.

"She hasn't told you?" He looked at her puzzled. Diane shrugged, smiling. "She's not human Rose." Rose looked at her in surprise. " She's a Jayrian from the planet Saith. Thought you would have noticed something was up when she read your mind. Since when could humans do that?" He muttered.

"Anyway," he turned back to Rose, "I don't want to waste any of the power in this thing, and I'm definitely not going to get anywhere if I just stand here chatting. Pleasant as it is," It was his brave way of saying I wish I could just stay and talk to you but I have to go. Rose looked at him pleadingly.

"What you have to go already?" Just seeing his face again had been reassuring.

"I'm sorry Rose." He said again, but she shook her head.

"It's not your fault." She reached out a hand slowly towards him, and he reached out his own in response. The image crackled and flickered as Rose's fingers passed through his, taunting her. This time she couldn't hold back the tears, and they came flooding down her face. She hadn't wanted him to see her like this, she had to be strong and not make him feel even more guilty about what had happened.

"I will solve this. I promise I will get you back Rose. I promise." He vowed to her, tears brimming his own eyes. "I'll see you soon." He said softly, a small smile spreading across his face.

She nodded, watching as the picture slowly flickered away into nothing.

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****_A/N: Sorry if it's all a bit farfetched, I did my best! XD Next chapter you get to know a bit more about what is really happening :D So please keep reading and review!_**


	4. The Doctor's Story

**_A/N: Without sounding mushy, I'm really touched by all the reviews! Thanks so much everyone XD Just to clarify, the Doctor never came to the parallel world that Rose is in, and there weren't any autons (the building blew up from dodgy building work or something )- it was part of the difference between worlds XD Thought I'd mentioned it somewhere, but just making sure cause people seem to be speculating and it's not part of my story :D Sorry!_**

**_Also although Army Of Ghosts was incredible beyond words I was vaguely irritated it included the cyber men travelling across parallel worlds -unimpressed- I'd already written the first drafts of up to chapter 5 before that episode, so no worries really. Can't wait for Doomsday, though it will probably have me crying, and I'll be so depressed after it:( How are we supposed to survive until the next series? Anyway enough rambling, here's the next chapter, sorry it took a bit longer!_**

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Chapter 4

The Doctor's Story

The Doctor sighed heavily as he watched Rose's tear stained face fizzle away into the air. He couldn't stand seeing her like that, so he'd promised to find a way to rescue her. And he knew even if it was the last thing he ever did he would achieve it, but right now he didn't have a clue where to even start. He'd tried so much already- he felt he'd exhausted every possible option.

The key of course was to somehow unravel the mystery of how the Croulahrrs had achieved it. He sat back in the seat of the TARDIS, arms folded and brow furrowed in deep thought.

_Flashback_

_They'd just successfully completed another mission, just barely escaping at the last minute. As usual they'd come out on top and were now laughing and joking about what had happened._

"_That was insane!" Rose said after a fit of hysterical laughter, wiping a tear from her eye. The Doctor leaned back against the TARDIS console confidently._

"_Knew we'd get out alright though. Well… I was…fairly sure- anyway! The big question is where to next?" He grinned at her._

"_Surprise me!" she replied._

"_Do I not always?" he asked looking hurt. She just laughed, and he couldn't help but smile. Even after all the planets he'd been to, all the events he'd witnessed. travelling with her truly couldn't be compared to anything he'd ever experienced. _

_Just when he was contemplating a new destination that would surely leave her speechless, the TARDIS jerked violently, throwing them both to the floor without warning. His head smacked full force into the console, pain shooting through his whole body at the impact. The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was Rose desperately calling his name, her voice gradually fading away to nothing._

_The next thing he knew he was waking up somewhere completely different, his head throbbing and Rose nowhere in sight. He shakily got to his feet, scouring his surroundings before concluding he was on some sort of space ship. And a large one at that. The room was massive, the ceiling towering far above his head. _

"_Ah… at long last you are awake Doctor." He spun around, looking for the source of this strange voice. A tall humanoid alien stood before him, his elaborate clothing of rich embroidered robes suggesting he was of a noble and superior race. But of course that didn't mean a thing to the Doctor. _

"_Errr, yes. Could you possibly tell me where I am?" The Doctor asked politely, still feeling quite dazed from hitting his head with such force. The 'man' had a fairly human looking face, but his skin was covered with strange markings that swirled mysteriously around his cheeks, and his eyes where an unnatural dark red. He smiled at the Doctor smugly._

"_You are aboard my ship Doctor, amongst the great and noble race of the Croulahrrs." He announced proudly. The Doctor raised an eyebrow._

"_Strange, never heard of you lot." he replied disrespectfully. "That would make you who exactly?"_

"_I am Serpor, Lord of the Croulahrrs." his smile faded slightly at the lack of recognition._

_The Doctor nodded, "Oh right. Well then, _Lord Serpor_" he said mockingly, "Could you please tell me why I am here and what you've done with my friend?" The politeness was gradually disappearing from his voice. Serpor grinned evilly, sending a chill through the Doctor. "What have you done with her?" He demanded._

"_It really doesn't matter now that you're here, she is irrelevant."_

"_I SAID WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER?" The Doctor shouted, his fear for Rose growing with every second._

"_She has been placed beyond your reach Doctor, so that you may forget her and give yourself up." Serpor replied calmly ignoring the Doctors outburst._

"_You did what?" The Doctor replied, using all his willpower to keep his voice steady._

"_You see you would make an excellent addition to our collection. 'The last Time Lord'… how magnificent! But we needed that common human of yours out the way so you would stop caring for her, and so that you would be easier to contain." _

"_So you thought if you got rid of her I would just give up on her and give myself to you willingly to be put on display?" The Doctor clenched his fists in fury._

"_Of course! Be reassured by the fact that she is perfectly safe, and I'm sure she's happy and has already forgotten you. I would advise you to do the same Doctor, there is no way for you to retrieve her." The thought of Rose forgetting him hurt the Doctor so deeply. She wouldn't would she? He shook his head._

"_You really don't know a thing about either of us do you?" The Doctor retorted confidently. Serpor just laughed._

"_I'm not interested in hearing your life story Doctor and to be honest I don't need you to give yourself up." The Doctor flinched as he felt powerful hands gripping his arms and restraining him. The next thing he knew he was being dragged deep within the ship, and being thrown into a dark cell. With great effort he got to his feet, taking a moment to calm the burning fury that threatened to take control of him. _

_He was being kept in captivity to raise the credibility of some pompous race who didn't care in the slightest about how he or Rose felt. At least they had said she was safe, and hadn't just killed her- although he wondered why they hadn't. Surely it would have been easier for them? But he was too grateful to dwell on it. More important was where could they have put her that they thought he could not reach? Too many unanswered questions. First things first, he needed to get out of this cell and back to the TARDIS. _

_Taking out his sonic screwdriver he placed it over the lock to his prison and prayed that it would work. He grinned as the tell tale clunk of the lock opening echoed around the room. They really didn't know anything about him. He silently crept out of the door, peering down the long corridor. There was absolutely no one in sight. 'Far too confident of themselves' he thought to himself. _

_After hacking into a nearby control panel he easily located the store room where his TARDIS had been left to gather dust, and soon after had left the ship altogether. He sat down at the console, considering his options of locating Rose. Before long he was interrupted by an attempt of communication. He accepted the transmission, and the smug face of Serpor appeared onscreen. _

"_I see that our prison was no match for you Doctor." Serpor smiled. _

"_Piece of cake!" The Doctor smiled, hiding his confusion at Serpor's confidence._

"_And I suppose your next mission is to find your human friend?" Ah, now that was their game. The Doctor remained silent. "Had any luck yet?" Serpor teased._

"_Tell me where she is." The Doctor replied, not attempting to conceal his anger. Serpor chuckled._

"_We know more about you than you think Doctor." A feeling of unease ran through him, "We know enough to place her where you cannot ever return to her. We know that travel between parallel worlds is impossible. For you at least." The Doctors eyes widened._

"_It's impossible full stop." He said angrily. Surely Serpor was bluffing? _

"_That's what you'd like to think isn't it Doctor?" Serpor laughed. "That girl is in a world parallel to Earth, where she can be happy and return to her original life, but where you can never reach her."_

"_But it's impossible!" The Doctor said firmly._

"_If you're so certain then I shall send you details of her location and you can see for yourself!" The Doctor watched as a small file loaded, and felt his heart plummet as he scanned over it._

"_But that's impossible…" He whispered, fear rushing through him like a tidal wave. At the back of his mind he could feel that it was true. He couldn't explain it but he could just _feel _that that was where she was. _

"_You can see for yourself that it clearly isn't. Perhaps now you might reconsider returning-" The Doctor slammed on the controls, ending the transmission and blocking all further communications. He shook with a mixture of intense rage and fear, not trusting himself to move in case of what he might do. _

_After that he had tried everything he could imagine to cross the boundaries and travel into the parallel world, and a few attempts had nearly caused him another regeneration. In the end he had been able to make contact with a Jayrian through Rose's mind- something he couldn't quite understand, but he knew it was because of the TARDIS. It had connected him so strongly to Rose, ever since she had looked into the time vortex and become the bad wolf._

_End flashback_

He now understood why Serpor had chosen to put Rose beyond his reach rather than killing her. It meant that if he escaped he would undoubtedly return to him to discover how to retrieve Rose. Serpor had been cleverer than he initially anticipated, and cursed himself for falling into another one of his traps.

But he couldn't give up so easily. He had to keep trying, for Rose's sake. Seeing her so broken… He shook the image from his head. He would find her.

He knew he would.

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**_A/N: Again, sorry it took so long for a shorter chapter, I've only recently broken up for the summer hols, and I've been out and about quite a lot XD Will try and get the next chapter up sooner! Please review and keep reading!_**


	5. Strange Disappearances

**_Important A/N! Please read!_**

**_A/N: what can I say, Doomsday destroyed me. I haven't cried that much in a very long time. But did anyone notice… cause I am sooooooo beyond freaked out…. Chapter 3 of this story- Rose speaking to a hologram of the Doctor, unable to physically touch him, them being separated by being in parallel Earths? Sound familiar? I don't know whether to be proud of having written virtually the same thing as the last scene of Doomsday or highly irritated that it steals my storyline and makes it look like I've copied. But readers who have been following this story before watching Doomsday know that I submitted this chapter before it was shown. Just to clarify XD And I'm not in on any secrets or anything, like I should be so lucky. _**

**_I felt it important that if you're reading this story that you read this A/N cause of the similarities in my storyline to Doomsday. Just so that everyone knows, I had decided on exactly what was going to happen in my story from start to finish before I had seen either Army of Ghosts or Doomsday. In fact it was quite some time ago I came up with this idea. I only wrote this story really cause I wanted to write that scene with the hologram in it XD_**

**_Anyway enough nattering from me. Once again, thanks so much for all the reviews and please keep reading!_**

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**Chapter 5**

Strange Disappearances

Rose sat back on the cold park bench, a hot bag of chips nestled in her lap. She watched the world go past- young children hurrying home from school, old women out walking their dogs, the pigeons scurrying about her feet hoping for a scrap of food. They all seemed so carefree, unaware of how precious their time was as they went about their daily routines. Unaware of how at any one moment the thing they most loved could be snatched away from them. Rose almost wished she were one of them again, back to the days when she was always safe and was never fighting for her life.

But then she thought better of it. She'd been fighting for what she believed in, living her life the way the Doctor had shown her- seeing everything there is to see, never giving in no matter what life threw at you, always moving on. Making a difference.

A tear came to her eye as she thought about him carrying on that life without her. She knew deep down he would never give up on her, but what if it really was impossible for him to reach her? She'd rather he carried on travelling the universe than wasted the rest of his life trying to rescue her, knowing it was impossible. Besides there were races and planets that needed his help more than she did. The solitary tear escaped her eye, leaving a silvery trail down her cheek.

She'd do anything, _anything _to have him here with her now. She wiped the tear away roughly, angry at herself for giving up on him so easily. He always found a way. He always returned to her.

She looked at her watch. She had arranged to meet Diane here ten minutes ago, just to take her mind off the Doctor and to get to know her a bit. Odd as it sounded she felt better being around her because she wasn't of this world. It made her feel strangely at home. She was still so grateful to her for helping her as well- if it weren't for her she'd still be wondering whether the Doctor was even real.

"Rose!" she looked up to see Diane hurrying towards her, looking rather flustered. "Sorry I'm late!" Diane smiled and took a seat beside her. "This woman wouldn't stop talking about her father who'd died years ago, ended up having a nervous breakdown on me!" She shook her head in disbelief. "Honestly, you humans do get very emotional."

"Nothing wrong with that!" Rose smiled proudly, offering her a chip.

"So how've you been today? Feeling any better?" she asked between mouthfuls of food. Rose just looked down at her feet solemnly. That was a no then. Diane sighed. "You know he'll find you don't you? He promised you."

"I know, it's just…I just thought maybe we could have a chat, to get my mind off it." Rose looked at her pleadingly.

"Sure," Diane smiled. "What do you want to talk about?" Rose shrugged.

"Well… how come you never told me you weren't human?" Diane could tell she'd been itching to ask her about all this.

"I dunno, I didn't want to freak you out I guess."

"After travelling with the Doctor?" Rose laughed.

"Well it's not exactly an easy conversation to bring up is it? 'Oh! By the way, I'm not human. Just thought you might like to know!" They both fell about laughing, dropping chips everywhere.

"So, _Diane Woods_. Is that your real name?" Rose asked wiping a tear from her eye.

"No, my Jayrian name is Inda."

"It's a good job you look so human then, no one would ever tell the difference." Diane smiled at her suspiciously. "What?" Rose asked confused.

"It's an illusion, how you see me. I don't really look that human at all." Rose gaped at her in awe. "I can manipulate peoples minds so that they just see me as an average human."

"That's… so weird…" Rose was secretly comparing her to the slitheen, and thinking of how human they looked until they took their 'disguises' off. She shook the thought from her mind, Diane wasn't like those monsters at all. "So tell me more about your people then, the Jayrians."

"There's not that much to tell. We're telepaths, that's why I made such a good psychiatrist!"

"They weren't exaggerating when they said you could read minds then! How come you ended up on Earth?" Diane's face dropped.

"There was a war." she said simply, looking at the ground.

"The Time War," Rose added, thinking of the rare occasions the Doctor mentioned it.

"Yes. Few of us survived, so I came here looking for peace. There wouldn't be _any_ of us left if it weren't for the Time Lords."

"I'm so sorry," Rose apologised, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"It's not so bad," Diane smiled bravely, "I like being around humans, you're all so intriguing! People come to me with the strangest problems and I help them to repair their lives. I finally feel like I have a purpose, like I'm actually helping someone." Rose nodded. She knew that feeling well. "But anyway, tell me about you, and your life with the Time Lord. It must be incredible, the privilege!" Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

"Privilege?" Rose had never thought of herself as privileged to be perfectly honest. They'd just saved the Earth together for the first time, she'd proven she could do something right and he'd casually invited her to come along.

"Rose, Time Lords used to protect the entire universe! It's not the same place without them. To think there's still one out there, just the one… it's like there's still some tiny spark of hope left in the universe." She smiled in awe, her eyes distant.

"He is incredible… I've never really thought about it that way though. I do sometimes wonder where he gets the strength to just smile and carry on, he must have seen so many people he loves die…" She drifted off, imagining him out there right now, completely alone, perhaps frightened that he'd now lost Rose as well. She couldn't bear the thought of him not having anyone to fall back on, not having anyone to hold his hand and tell _him _that everything would be alright for a change. Tears began to fill her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks once more.

"Oh Rose…" Diane put an arm around her. "I'm so sorry. He promised he would find you, have faith in that!"

"I do I just…" Her voice trembled, "I don't want him to be alone anymore." And then the tears came flowing freely down her face, her emotions too strong to be contained.

A short while later, once Rose had calmed down, they got up and headed out of the park. They'd barely passed the exit when a woman came rushing over to them, looking flustered and frightened.

"Have you seen my little boy?" She asked frantically, not giving them time to answer, "He's only 6, short ginger hair, he never wanders off! He's such a good boy!" She was on the verge of tears. Rose was just about to offer her some support when the woman ran off again, headed for the park.

"That was a bit odd," Diane said in shock.

"Dunno, kids _do _wander off a lot…" Rose shrugged.

They made their way home in silence, both thinking over what had just happened. Rose would have liked to have helped, to return to what she and the Doctor did best- solving mysteries and helping people. He would be proud of her. But she didn't feel she had the determination in her at the moment. She felt so empty and worthless, terrified of how long she would be without the Doctor, if not forever. Maybe it was selfish to wallow in her own self pity, but she couldn't care less right now.

xoxoxoxoxo

Back at her flat, Rose sat slumped in the sofa, staring at the hologram device that had not so long ago shown him to her. She longed to contact him, to see his face and hear his voice again, but she didn't want to disturb him just to say 'hi'. So she waited for him to call her. And she waited. And she waited…

"Rose? Rose wake up love!"

"What?" Rose sat up groggily.

"You fell asleep staring at that thing again." Jackie shook her head disapprovingly. "You could at least put the telly on or something," she said picking up the remote and turning on the television. It showed the news, the main headlines were just being announced.

"_There have been even more reports of people going missing, the numbers now rising to above 25 people." _

"Oh yeh, you heard about that Rose? People just disappearing out of thin air all over the place. Strange don't you think?" Jackie gossiped, but Rose ignored her, intent on listening to the news reporter.

"_There hasn't been any leads whatsoever as to any of their whereabouts, we have no explanations at all. People are advised to take great care, and remain indoors if possible." _

"That woman in the park…" Rose mumbled, "she said she'd lost her son…" Something was wrong about this. Something that sent a chill down her spine. What it was that was wrong she had no idea. _'The Doctor would know, he'd be able to help these people.' _She thought glumly.

xoxoxoxoxo

As time passed more and more people continued to disappear, and there still wasn't the slightest clue as to what had happened to them. One particularly chilly morning Rose was headed home from having gone to visit Diane, to check she was still okay. The streets were deserted- the only living creatures in sight were pigeons scavenging for crumbs. Everyone was scared stiff of being 'taken'. Even her mum had tried in vain to stop Rose leaving the flat. _'God knows why everyone thinks they're any safer in their houses anyway,' _Rose thought to herself.

She was just considering how she was starting to sound like the Doctor, mocking the way people found a false sense of comfort in their homes when she saw something she couldn't quite explain. Just up the road, there was what would appear to be a hole in the air. Puzzled, she approached it, a sense of curiosity to the unknown burning within her- yet another influence from the Doctor.

As she neared it she could see that it really was a crack in the air- she could see a sliver of deep black space beyond it, dusted with sparkling stars and distant galaxies. She became transfixed by it- how she yearned to travel among the stars again… She reached out a hand for it subconsciously, before stopping herself. How was this possible? A section of space just floating before her very eyes. And more importantly what was it doing here? Her mind instantly linked it to the disappearances.

She jumped back as the crack began to shift and narrow, healing itself. Within seconds it was gone without a trace, leaving her standing there in shock. That moment a man came out of the house opposite, eyes darting everywhere.

"Janet? Janet where are you?" He yelled, his voice shaking with fear. "They've taken her, they've taken my Janet!" He ran back into the house, disappearing from view. Rose took a deep breath.

"That cannot have been a coincidence," Rose said calmly to herself. That 'crack in space' had appeared and disappeared before her very eyes, apparently taking someone with it. She was surprised no one had reported it sooner, but then who would believe it? She began to hurry home, fear trickling its way through her body.

She flinched as something caught the corner of her eye, and spun around to investigate. Her stomach dropped as she saw another crack opening, but this time it was slicing straight through the walls of the house opposite her. The brickwork crumbled at its contact, and people came running frantically out of the doors, screaming at the sight.

Then Rose had had enough. She turned and ran, fast as she could straight back to the flat without looking back. She didn't stop until she'd slammed the door shut behind her, and collapsed onto the sofa gasping hungrily for air.

"Rose! What on Earth has happened now!" Jackie yelled at her.

"I've seen what's taking them," She mumbled, not bothering to explain, "I've got to contact the Doctor." She'd had enough of handling the situation by herself- she needed his help. She needed to see his face again.

xoxoxoxoxo

The Doctor sat back in the TARDIS chair, thoroughly exhausted. He hated to admit it, but he'd run out of ideas. He'd tried everything, _everything_! But he couldn't give up, he just _couldn't. _He couldn't bear the thought of never seeing her again, leaving her somewhere that wasn't even her true home because he was incapable of rescuing her. It was his fault. They'd wanted him and she was his only weakness, the only advantage they had over him. He felt a burning rage rise up inside of him. He just couldn't get his head around the idea that anyone could be that heartless and ignorant.

So here he was again. Alone. Someone else he had failed.

As if on cue, Rose's image flickered into sight by the console. She always was there for him when he most needed her, even when she couldn't _physically_ be there. He walked over to stand by her image, a new energy flowing through him.

"Rose!" He smiled broadly, his affection for her overwhelming.

"Doctor," She smiled in reply, and for a short while they just stood in front of each other, taking in the sight of one another. Then her smile suddenly faded as she remembered why she had contacted him in the first place. The Doctor noticed her sudden expression of fear, a look of concern spreading across his own face.

"What is it, what's happened?" He demanded.

"I'm not sure what it is, something strange is happening." Rose explained, feeling useless about how little she actually knew. "People are going missing, loads of them. They haven't got a clue what's taking them, there's no links at all." The Doctor stared at her, panic in his eyes. "But I saw something…" Rose shook her head as she couldn't find the words.

"What?" The Doctor prompted. He couldn't help feeling proud of her, noticing something out of place where everyone else would just dismiss it.

"I don't know… it was just like a hole in the air… like a crack and I could see space through it." She attempted to describe it, "Right after I'd seen it someone went missing, and then it disappeared again." The Doctor now bore an expression of deep thought- he was obviously thinking through the possibilities. "And it's not just people, I saw one damaging a house. It's on the news as well, there are all sorts of buildings that have collapsed or been damaged without any clue of how it happened."

The Doctor leaned back against the console, arms folded as he sifted through his various experiences. Rose stood and watched him silently, wishing there was more she could do to explain it. After a few minutes the Doctors eyes suddenly widened in a sense of realisation.

"No… they couldn't have…" He muttered.

"What? What is it Doctor?" Rose asked, frightened of what he might say. He stood up and looked at her seriously.

"I couldn't work it out; how the Croulahrrs had managed to travel between parallel worlds…" He mumbled, "I think this is connected. I think they opened a rift in time and space to do it." He shook his head in disbelief. "And by the sounds of it they didn't close it- the IDIOTS!" He suddenly yelled, storming around the TARDIS. "They have no idea what they've done, no _idea_!" He ranted. "They're causing that world to fall apart, and it won't stop there! It'll carry on collapsing, all of time and space will just distort and break down unless it's repaired," He stopped to think. Rose just stared at him in fear. He suddenly looked up at her, causing her to flinch. "I have to go back to them. It's what they wanted anyway. Who would I be to let them down?"

"But… you can't, what if they-" Rose began to protest, but the Doctor cut her off.

"I have to. It might be my only chance of getting you back," He looked at her mournfully. "And besides, it has to be stopped. It could destroy all of time and space just because some blundering idiots can't control their own power and greed." He smiled at her reassuringly.

This was her Doctor at his best- about to set off on a dangerous adventure to save the world and he was smiling about it. She thought back to Diane's words of how privileged she was to know him, that she'd been on some of those adventures with him. She smiled at him sorrowfully- how she longed to be there by his side.

"I'm coming to get you." He said simply.

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_**A/N: Sorry that chapter took me a while to upload, I've been kinda busy recently, and I'm getting ready to go on holiday to Hungary for a week, but I'll try and get the next chapter up before I leave :D Please keep reading and review!**_


	6. Decision Time

**_A/N: Thanks for the great reviews! Sorry this chapter is so short, and probably not up to scratch but I really wanted to get it uploaded before I go on holiday, which is tomorrow at 5am -collapses- How I'm going to survive getting up at like 3:30am is a mystery, but oh well. _**

**_Tai Greywing- The weirdest thing about me 'predicting' that end scene of Doomsday is that I've been freaking my friends out quite a lot recently with other things like that, although not as dramatic (eg. The other day I walked into the kitchen when my mum was looking for something and just went, "there's the baking paper", and she was like how did you know I was looking for that?) Maybe I'm not human, it would explain quite a lot o.O; _**

**_Anyway thanks for the reviews again, and please keep reading!_**

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**Chapter 6**

Decision Time

The Doctor dashed around the console, frantically throwing switches and pressing buttons as the TARDIS whirred away, flying bumpily through time and space. It cast an eerie green glow across the Doctor's face, showing his determination- had anyone been there to see it. He was being driven on by the thrill of an adventure, the will to save all of time and space, and his desperation to see Rose again. The whirring of the TARDIS grew stronger as he neared the Croulahrr ship, and a determined grin spread across his face. Every step he was a second closer to seeing Rose again.

He fell against the console as the TARDIS landed with a thud- perfect landing, as usual. He ran to the viewing screen and saw guards surrounding the strange blue box that had just arrived from nowhere, waiting for his appearance. Anger burned inside him as he saw Serpor stepping forwards, obviously giving the guards orders. Time for his entrance.

He threw open the door of the TARDIS and strode energetically out. The guards instantly pointed their weapons- metal rods almost like staffs that sparked at the tip with some unknown energy- at the Doctor, surrounding him. He ignored them completely, batting one away with his hand as if it were just a harmless twig, and approached Serpor. The Croulahrrs looked at each other cautiously, not knowing how to handle the Doctor's confidence.

"You opened a rift." The Doctor said simply. Serpor smiled sickeningly.

"Well done Doctor! They always did say how clever you were."

"You have no idea do you." Serpor looked at him enquiringly. "You thought you could just open a great big rift in time and space and then abandon it and everything would just be dandy?" The Doctor rose his voice, his anger seeping out. Serpor's smile twisted into a frown. "That rift is tearing apart the very fabric of reality! If you don't close it the whole of time and space will just collapse!" He yelled.

"I think not." Serpor smiled mockingly.

"You what?"

"You can't frighten us with your stories Doctor, we know you think yourself so superior to us but we are not as gullible as you presume." The Doctor took a deep breath and ran an agitated hand through his hair, attempting to control his fury.

"What would I have to gain by lying to you about this?" The Doctors voice sounded calmed and restrained, but shook with suppressed anger.

"We know that all you want is to be free of us Doctor and to have your human back." The Doctor shook his head in disbelief- he couldn't believe he was hearing this.

"Yes that's exactly what I wanted initially, but now I find myself needing to clean up the mess you've left behind as well! You _have _to stop this NOW!" He screamed at Serpor, losing control of his rage. Serpor merely took a step back and looked down on him pompously.

"Guards, take care of him." He said calmly, turning to walk away. The Doctor looked around in alarm- they were approaching him from all sides, trapping him. He felt a sharp object being forced into his back, and cried out in agony as a current ran through his body. He fell to the floor, unable to balance as the world around him swayed and blurred, gradually fading away to blackness.

xoxoxoxoxo

The Doctor stirred awake, pain coursing through his body. The cold floor against his face brought him to his senses, and he slowly sat up as the pain subsided. For a moment he couldn't think where he was and why, or even who he was. He panicked as it all suddenly came rushing back like someone had just hit him hard around the head, and he remembered the rift, Serpor's arrogance and Rose trapped beyond his reach.

Questions raced through his mind. How long had he been out? Where was he? Was Rose safe? He struggled to his feet, falling onto the wall for support in his hurry. He was in a prison again, much like the one he had first been placed in. What made them think they would be able to contain him this time?

He reached for his sonic screwdriver, and held it to the lock. The screwdriver whirred away, but nothing happened. No satisfying clunk of a lock opening this time. So that was their game. The door must be dead lock sealed- his sonic screwdriver was useless. He looked around the room. Four walls of concrete. Great. He leant back on the wall, thinking deeply. There had to be a way out of here, surely.

He ran through various past experiences he'd had of being locked in a prison. Scanning through his memories, he became distracted; Rose's tearstained face when he had seen her stranded in that parallel world kept creeping into his vision, haunting him. He sank to the floor, holding his head in his hands. He had to get back to her, he just _had _to. Being in the TARDIS without her around was so lonely, he had gotten used to her company too well. He didn't want to be alone again. Not anymore.

His mind drifted through memories of time he had spent with her; travelling to 2012 and seeing the Olympics, coming face to face with a werewolf, defeating gas mask zombies. His eyes lit up suddenly as a thought occurred to him, and he took out his sonic screwdriver once more- maybe it wasn't so useless.

He walked up to the heavy door and examined the concrete around the lock. He tapped it firmly with his knuckles, testing it's strength. A broad grin spread across his face; the concrete was only thin. That time they had been trapped in a room by the dead little boy with a gas mask fused to his face, he'd tried to set up a resonation pattern to loosen the concrete around the bars that had been on the window. If he could just do that around the lock…

He held the screwdriver up to the wall, fiddling with it until he found the correct frequency before holding it against the wall surrounding the lock. Once more thoughts raced through his mind as he waited for it to take effect- how long had it been? How was he going to close the rift? Would he have enough time to save Rose? After painstaking minutes that seemed to stretch out into hours the concrete around the lock suddenly crumbled and gave way, releasing the lock. The Doctor heaved his shoulder against the door, and it slowly swung open. He grinned- another step closer to Rose.

He ran swiftly down the corridors, barely making a sound until he came across another control panel. Hacking into it this time was also more difficult- they really had learnt. They may have been overly confident in themselves, but it seemed he had also presumed too little of them. A voice at the back of his mind nagged him constantly_, 'you've been too long, you're running out of time.' _He shook his head irritably, silencing the voice.

Once he had successfully gained access into the control panel, he scanned through a map of the ship, pausing when he found a room that looked promising. Bringing information onscreen he breathed a sigh of relief- he'd found it. The control room for maintaining the rift was located at the far side of the ship. Once more ignoring the voice inside his head he dashed off, frustrated that he couldn't run any faster.

As he rounded a corner he suddenly leapt back, pressing himself against the wall so as not to be seen. He held his breath as a Croulahrr guard strode casually past, not really paying attention. The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief as the guard carried on, not turning down the corridor he was hiding in.

After some time navigating the endless corridors and avoiding guards, he finally reached his destination, gasping for air. But he didn't have time to stop and catch his breath. He quickly opened the door and slipped inside the dark room. It seemed abandoned, the only lights where from the slight glow of the controls. He scrabbled around for a light switch, blinking as the room lit up.

The room basically consisted of a wide control panel and a large screen. The Doctor walked cautiously forward, hands in pockets. He stared up at the screen; it showed deep space- he made a mental note of the co-ordinates shown- just a random stretch of black dusted with stars and galaxies, but with a huge tear down the middle. It was as if someone had just carelessly slashed time and space right open. The Doctor frowned at it, thinking of how Rose must have been thrown through that hole in the universe without a second thought, and how it was now slowly destroying the world she was trapped in, soon to start on others.

He glanced across the various buttons and levers- it seemed so impossible to achieve yet relatively simple to work. _'It must be using an immense amount of power to sustain this rift,' _he thought to himself, instinctively throwing switches and pressing buttons. After some sufficient tinkering with the controls he stopped. He stood upright and sighed wearily. He stared at one particular button.

Just one button. Just an insignificant press of that little button that blinked red on and off. That's all it would take to close the rift. Once it was done that huge tear in space that was shown on the screen before him would gradually repair itself, sealing the hole. Once that was done he would never be able to cross through into that parallel world again.

He would never be able to reach Rose.

But he did have a chance. The rift would take time to heal, although maybe not long. If his calculations were correct then he would have just enough time to dash through that hole, grab Rose and leave again. That was if he was lucky, and if he didn't waste a fraction of a second.

But could he risk it? Could he risk never being able to see her again? Could he risk breaking his promise to her and failing to rescue her? He rubbed his face with his hands. He knew the decision had already been made, and that in reality he didn't have a choice. If he didn't heal the rift now it would grow beyond control and the chances of either of them surviving if that happened were next to nothing anyway.

He took a deep breath. He had to have faith in himself, and in Rose. Before he even realised what he'd done, he'd pressed that not so insignificant little button and fled from the room.

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_**A/N: Sorry that was a short chapter, but that's where I wanted to end it, and sorry if it wasn't up to scratch as well. I think there's only a couple of chapters left cause it's coming to the climax now, but you never know :D So please keep reading and review!**_


	7. Race Against Time

**_A/N: Thanks for being so patient waiting for this chapter! I had an amazing time on holiday in Budapest XD Hopefully I'm not too out of practice having left this story for a week, so sorry if its not up to scratch again :D Once again thanks for all the great reviews, and please keep reading!_**

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**Chapter 7**

Race Against Time

Rose sat tensely on the edge of the sofa, staring intently at the space in her living room where not so long ago the Doctor- or at least a hologram of the Doctor- had stood and assured her that he was coming to get her. Her mind was racing, trying to imagine what would happen next- was she going to hear from him again before he arrived? Or would he just turn up on her doorstep, smiling like nothing had ever happened? Would he even make it? Rose shook the thought from her head. Of Course he was going to make it, he was the Doctor, and he had promised her.

Rose flinched as a cup of tea was placed in front of her, bringing her swiftly back down to reality. She looked up into the concerned eyes of her mother.

"Thanks," she mumbled, placing her hands around the mug, letting the comforting heat soak into her palms. Jackie slowly sat down beside her.

"So… he said he was coming for you?" She asked quietly, and Rose nodded. "Will I ever see you again?" Rose looked up at her in surprise, and saw the fear of losing her only daughter in Jackie's eyes.

"But… I know it sounds impossible, but I'm not your daughter." Rose replied, struggling to explain it without breaking Jackie's heart.

"Whatever," Jackie shook her head dismissively, "So where _is _my daughter? What have you done with her?" She demanded accusingly.

"Nothing!" Rose retorted, insulted. "Wait a minute… that is a good question though. This world must have had a Rose too, cause you thought I was your daughter…" Rose sat back and thought. There had been no sign of another Rose, but there _must _have been one. '_The Croulahrrs must have needed her out of the way'_, Rose deducted. She could just imagine her mothers reaction if two Rose's had walked casually through the front door.

"Rose please don't go," Jackie said suddenly, her eyes sorrowful and brimming with tears, "don't leave me on my own!" Rose felt her heart break as her mother looked at her pleadingly. She thought back to the time when she'd first met the Doctor and he'd accidentally brought her back a whole year later instead of 12 hours, and Jackie had been distraught at her unexplainable disappearance. How could she explain that she wasn't really her daughter? But then how could she just leave her like this? But most importantly how could she stay? No. She couldn't stay. She knew that. So what _was _she going to do?

As if on cue, the Doctor's image fizzled into view. Rose stood up instantly, smiling broadly at him until she looked closer. He seemed flustered and pale, and bore an expression of fear and weariness.

"Doctor? What's happened?" she asked nervously. She was taken aback as he suddenly beamed at her, and couldn't help smiling herself once more.

"Like I said before, I'm coming to get you!" He grinned.

"But how? What did you do? Did you go back to the Croulahrrs? Are you alright?" she said without waiting for answers, her mind racing with questions.

"Woa woa woaaa! I'll explain everything later, I haven't got much time. Long story short the rift is healing itself, and I'm on my way to you right now," he smiled at her proudly.

"Wait a second, what about my mum?"

"Can't wait to see you either." He said sarcastically, mocking her ungratefulness. He looked over at Jackie who was cowering by the sofa. "What do you mean? What about her?"

"If I leave she'll be all alone," Rose tried to explain. The Doctor looked at her incredulously, as if to say 'you can't possibly be considering staying'.

"This world must have had a Rose Tyler before you were put here. Once the rift has healed everything should theoretically be restored to how it was before the rift was opened, including the people. Everyone should be returned to where they were before this mess started. My guesses are that this worlds Rose was the first to be 'taken', so that there wasn't two Roses wandering about." Rose opened her mouth, about to protest about the fact that it was only theoretical when the room suddenly lurched. Rose stumbled and grabbed onto her mum to prevent her from falling.

"What the hell was that?" Jackie yelled. They clung onto each other as the floor moved again, and the sound of brickwork shattering rumbled around the room.

"Oh my god…" Rose muttered in disbelief, "there must be one of those cracks…"

"Rose, what's going on?" The Doctor asked urgently. That moment Diane burst into the room, gasping for breath.

"Rose! You have to get out of here now!" She yelled between gulps of air.

"What is it? What's going on?" The Doctor panicked, now looking at Diane for answers. She looked at him in surprise, not having noticed him in her hurry.

"There's a crack, opening right into the side of the building. I think the whole thing could collapse!" Her point was proven as the room tilted again, throwing them all to the floor.

"Rose, you have to get out now!" The Doctor ordered her, terrified for her safety. Rose clambered unsteadily to her feet as the floor moved against her, and Diane rushed to help her up. Once she was safely balanced Rose turned around, ready to help her mum, but the room was empty.

"Mum?" She spun around frantically searching the room, but Jackie was no where in sight. "Oh my god, she's gone…" Rose felt her stomach drop as she realised the rift had taken her.

"Rose, she's not your mother, and she'll be returned back here with her real daughter once the rift is healed." The Doctor looked at her reassuringly. "But you have to get out of this building now! I'll meet you outside the park okay? It should be out of the way of any dangerous buildings out there." Rose nodded, holding back the tears in her eyes. He smiled one last time at her before fading away once more.

The building creaked perilously, and Rose and Diane shot each other anxious looks before dashing out of the flat. They flew along the balcony and down the stairs, stumbling as the whole structure shook beneath their feet. Rose jumped back as a large piece of brickwork fell in front of her, just missing crushing her. She froze on the spot, shaking at the thought of how close that had been- how easily her life could have been ended and in such a unexciting way. After all the planets she'd been to, all the aliens she'd faced, 'death by falling bricks' didn't quite seem a fitting death. Diane hastily brought her to her senses, and they continued dodging falling rubble and navigating the twisted staircase.

When they were finally clear of the building they both fell to the floor exhausted. They looked back at the block of flats that had once been Rose's home- at least in this world- as it tilted precariously at an angle. Rubble still fell from the damaged area- a huge chunk of the brickwork in the side had just collapsed where the crack had obviously appeared and sealed again. Taking with it Jackie. Rose felt her heart ache as she thought of her mother, claimed by the rift a long with so many other innocent people. Seeing she was upset, Diane put a supportive arm around her shoulders.

"I know it's hard to see your own mum disappear in front of you, and to have your home collapse nearly taking you with it- of course it would be for anyone. But it's like the Doctor said, this isn't really your home, she wasn't your mother, and everything will be restored to normal once the rift has healed." Rose nodded, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I know, I know. Even in my own world that's not really my home anymore." She said putting on a brave face and turning her back on the crumbling building before her. Diane smiled at her.

"He'll be here soon, then you'll truly be home."

xoxoxoxoxo

The Doctor watched as Rose's terrified face faded away, leaving him alone with the TARDIS once again. He prayed she would get out of the building in time, that she wouldn't get hurt. He dashed around the TARDIS console, altering controls and preparing to fly through the rift as he neared the massive tear in space. One thing was for sure- it was going to be a bumpy ride.

He could feel the TARDIS resisting as they grew closer, as if she was reluctant to fly through it, knowing how dangerous it was. But the Doctor pushed her on, throwing switches and pressing buttons frantically.

"Here we go," He muttered to himself, grasping the console tightly. The ship lurched as they entered the rift, throwing the Doctor forcefully to the floor despite his efforts to cling on. He desperately tried to regain his grip as the TARDIS was thrown about, the lights flickering and wires and pieces of machinery falling down, narrowly missing him. He reached out for the controls, determined to guide the TARDIS safely through the healing rift.

He had to succeed, to reach Rose- he just had to. He pushed the thought that he would have to fly back through the rift once he'd got her out of his mind- it would only be more difficult once it was smaller and close to sealing up completely. He cringed as he thought of Rose having been taken through the rift by the Croulahrrs, alone and terrified of what was going on. But this was no time to let his emotions gain control. The chances were she probably hadn't been conscious, seeing as she didn't appear to remember anything of actually being taken there. She had after all assumed that she was at her real home. Even she had been conscious he knew she would have been brave- she was Rose after all.

He pushed all these thoughts from his mind and focused on flying the TARDIS. He would see Rose again soon.

xoxoxoxoxo

Rose walked about nervously, unable to sit still. Her ears were ready to pick up the slightest sound of the TARDIS materialising, her eyes just waiting to see the Doctor turn that corner and come running over to embrace her.

"Rose calm down!" Diane said finally, after becoming dizzy watching her pace back and forth.

"How can I?" Rose yelled at her. Diane looked taken aback, and Rose sat down next to her, realising what she'd done. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you. It's just…" She looked around, searching for the right words, "the world around me is collapsing, my mum just disappeared into a huge hole in space and I might never see him again. I just have a bad feeling about all this." She looked at Diane sorrowfully.

"Hardly surprising," Diane replied, "I think you're being incredibly brave about it all. Most people would just scream their heads off before fainting." Rose smiled at this, "You're a strong person Rose, certainly the bravest human I've ever met."

"Thanks," Rose grinned at her. "It's only cause of the Doctor though. I wouldn't be anything without him." Diane shook her head.

"You must have had it in you all along- being with the Doctor just gave you the chance to let yourself become who you truly are." she said wisely.

"Even so, I'm nothing compared to him. If we'd never met I'd still be wasting my life away working in a shop doing nothing and helping no one, and he'd be out there completely alone saving planets." She sighed, looking around the park- there was still no sign of him or the TARDIS. "I can't let him be alone anymore," she said, tears brimming in her eyes, "He has to make it, he just has to. I don't want to be alone either."

"Nobody wants to be alone Rose." Diane said understandingly. She looked out across the deserted streets- the remains of peoples houses littered the pavement, their homes reduced to rubble. It truly was a heartbreaking sight. It reminded her too much of her last view of Saith- buildings that had once stood tall and glorious in flames, houses nothing but ash, her people injured and terrified, fleeing through the streets as Daleks soared overhead. She shuddered at the thought. She could understand what Rose was going through, although she knew she was more concerned about never seeing the Doctor again than this world that wasn't really her home.

"Thank you." Rose said suddenly, bringing Diane out of her thoughts. "For being there for me, and helping me through all this. I couldn't have done any of it without you." Diane smiled at her. "You know, you could come with us." Rose suggested, "It's up to the Doctor I suppose, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Diane looked at her, shocked at the opportunity that she was being presented with.

"I'm honoured… I truly am," she shook her head, speechless, "But I can't." she looked at Rose apologetically. "I belong here now. I finally found my purpose, and that is to help the humans in this world. I don't think I would be strong enough to live the life that you do anyway." Rose nodded at her acceptingly.

"Well then I'm going to miss you," She said, reaching out to hug her in farewell. They both abruptly stopped short as the ground shook, and looked at each other alarmed.

"Look out!" Rose yelled, pointing frantically behind Diane. She flew around in time to see a crack open right behind her, slicing into the ground. Diane leapt out of the way, grabbing onto the wall surrounding the park for support. She held on for dear life as the ground shook beneath her feet, not daring to look behind her until she felt steady on her feet again.

She slowly turned around, releasing her painfully tight grip on the wall, her hands red and sore. She felt her stomach drop as she looked around. The pavement where the crack had appeared had crumbled into small pieces and the park looked as if a tornado had torn recklessly through it. But the devastation it had caused to the scenery wasn't what made Diane's heart cry out.

Rose was no where in sight.

Diane scoured the park fearfully, trying not to suspect the worst. She must be hiding somewhere, or run off to get out of the way of the crack. Any minute now she'd turn up and ask what on Earth Diane looked so frightened about.

But no. She was gone. Tears welled up in Diane's eyes as the full impact of what had happened struck her.

The rift had claimed Rose.

xoxoxoxoxo

The Doctor heaved himself up from the floor once again, angrily throwing a lever on the console. It was taking him too long to get through this rift- he didn't have time for this. His body ached in protest at having been thrown around so much, and the TARDIS whirred away wearily.

"Not much further now," He said out loud, in an attempt to reassure both the TARDIS and himself. He fidgeted with the controls one last time before the TARDIS at long last stopped, landing with a hefty thud. He couldn't stop a broad grin spreading across his face as he bounced energetically to his feet- pains forgotten. Outside that door Rose was waiting for him- he had made it! Just like he had promised her!

He imagined her face when she saw him, beaming at him with one of those smiles that managed to banish all the loneliness he'd ever felt. All he wanted was to wrap her up in a huge hug, apologise for what he'd put her through and take her away to somewhere truly fantastic. He began to plan where he would take her next as he strode towards the door, and out into the street.

He was shocked by the scene that greeted him- the place was deserted, everything in ruins. He felt his heart plummet as he scanned his surroundings. There was Diane, up ahead- just where he'd said he'd meet them- but she looked terrible. He could just make out her tearstained face as she turned towards him, having become aware of him standing behind her. He could see so much emotion in her eyes- fear, grief and an apology.

His heart began to race as questions and fears ran through his mind, threatening to overwhelm him. His eyes frantically darted all around him, but found nothing.

Rose was no where in sight.

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**_A/N: Just one more chapter! I apologise for the lack of an interesting explanation behind where the other worlds Rose was, I just couldn't think of anything clever that wouldn't interfere with the storyline I already had planned. So sorry if anyone's dissappointed in that. But please keep reading and review:D_**


	8. Bad Wolf

**_A/N: I'm so sorry for the massive delay getting this chapter up! It is the summer holidays after all, and I have been out quite a lot XD And also I didn't want to rush writing this chapter seeing as it's the last one, so thanks for being so patient and without further delay here it is!_**

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**Chapter 8**

Bad Wolf

She was gone.

His mind was running riot but one thing stood out from the rest.

She was gone.

He kept trying to think of a way around it, to avoid the evident truth- she could be here somewhere couldn't she? But deep down he knew it, and it screamed at him inside his mind.

Gone, gone, gone.

He had failed her. He promptly silenced the voice inside his head and strode out towards Diane, his eyes scouring the wasteland that had once seemed so much like Earth. Rose must be out there somewhere- maybe she was looking for him, or helping someone in danger. Diane could just be distraught over the destruction of her home. After all she had witnessed it before on Saith. He could sympathise with her when it came to having to watch your home planet burn.

But the look in Diane's eyes said it all. She was crying silently and steadily, her face pale and her eyes filled with anguish.

"I'm so sorry," she managed to whisper, her voice trembling.

"Where's Rose," The Doctor asked coldly, surprised to hear that his own voice shook. He knew the answer, and she knew he knew, but he was so desperate to cling on to even the slightest hope that maybe Rose was still okay. Diane looked at him with mournful eyes that said, 'please don't make me say it, _you know', _but he held his stare firmly, waiting for an answer. She sighed, giving in.

"We were standing here, waiting for you to arrive- exactly where you told us to be." She paused, not sure of how to break the news, "and then the rift… there was a crack right in front of us… there was chaos, and I looked round and she was just… gone…" She drifted off, fresh tears falling down her cheeks. "I'm so, so sorry! I should have got her out of the way, kept a sharper eye…"

The Doctor just stared out into space numbly. It was his fault. If he hadn't been so slow getting here, if he hadn't told her to wait for him outside the park, if he hadn't flown into that stupid trap in the first place…

Sharp tears began to sting the corner of his eyes, threatening to pour down his face uncontrollably. This couldn't be happening; it was only moments ago he had been grinning about the fact that soon he would see her again and instead he had walked out to find he was too late. He didn't know what to do, he just couldn't accept it. This had happened so many times before- he had left people behind, people had left him, and sometimes he had lost people.

But Rose had been different. Oh so different. He recalled how broken he had felt before he had first met her, and how she had managed to heal him. He'd never felt like this about anyone before- never so strongly. How was he supposed to go back to the way he was before? Broken, alone and ridden with the guilt of losing yet another companion.

He couldn't go on like this. Maybe he deserved to be alone. Maybe that's what all this had been trying to tell him throughout the years- you've always been alone, you are alone, and you always will be alone.

Alone.

Suddenly the ground rumbled beneath his feet, dragging him out of his thoughts and back down to Earth with a harsh thud. He was surprised to realise Diane was still standing next to him, crying steadily. She looked up in alarm as the ground shook again, and looked at him frantically.

"You have to go, now!" His eyes widened at her words.

"But I can't… Rose-" He began to protest, but Diane cut him off.

"I'm sorry Doctor, so _so_ sorry! It wasn't meant to end like this, but it has and we can't change that. You need to get back to your universe now, _it _needs _you_." He just stared at her dumbfounded. "You haven't got much time!" She urged him, more tears spilling down her pallid face.

"But how can I leave her?" He yelled, more angrily than he'd meant. After all it was not Diane's fault. It was his. She shook her head slowly in disbelief at his reaction.

"But she's not here. You _know _that. She'd want you to go back Doctor, you don't belong here. It's not right that you should stay." He knew she was right. There wasn't anything he could think of doing to try and save her. It shouldn't even be possible that he was here in the first place. He can't have long left before the rift was sealed completely now, and then he'd never be able to get back. "Doctor!" Diane shouted, bringing him to his senses.

Numbly he ran back into the TARDIS and began throwing switches and various controls on the console, falling as the ship suddenly lurched into action and flew towards the rift once more. He didn't so much as flinch as the TARDIS crashed through the rift, throwing him around. He didn't notice the pain as he crashed around himself, and didn't even attempt to hold on. The TARDIS whirred wearily as she struggled to fly unaided through the rift, aware of how little time she had left to reach her destination.

Their flight was a blur to the Doctor- he didn't care about getting through on time, and the possibility that they could end up trapped within the void for all eternity- in his mind he was already there. All he could see was Rose, fighting to be brave as he told her that she was in a parallel world and that he couldn't reach her. He'd promised her. He never went back on his promises.

With a final lurch the TARDIS flew out of the rift into the Doctor's universe, and within seconds the rift was sealed. No way back now. Alone again.

He wasn't sure if he'd ever felt quite this alone before. Perhaps when he had lost Galifrey and his own people, but never had he felt quite so empty after losing someone close to him. He thought back to when he had seen Sarah Jane again after all those years- he had been ecstatic to see her after so long, and she had been doing so well investigating suspicious activities. She had made him feel proud. But when he'd had to say goodbye to her for real he had relived the heartbreak. Then he'd turned around and retreated back into the TARDIS, and there had been Rose. She had hugged him tightly, seeing the pain he was in, and had told him everything would be alright. But he'd known it wouldn't be. As devastated as he had been to see Sarah Jane go, it had brought to his mind the thought of how someday that would be Rose he was saying goodbye to.

But he hadn't even got to say goodbye to her. As hard as he'd tried not to think about it, he'd always imagined Rose's farewell to be a tearful goodbye, somewhere meaningful and beautiful, yet somewhat mournful in respect for the heartbreaking event. They'd share one last hug, and say how devastated they were for being separated from one another. He'd tell her just how much she'd meant to him, and how he'd never ever forget her.

He winced in pain as it suddenly hit him. He'd never get to tell her how much he cared for her and how much more worthwhile she'd made his life. Tears began to flow freely down his ashen cheeks, and once they'd started they wouldn't stop. He collapsed onto the TARDIS chair, and wept into his hands. Things had never felt as bad when she had been there beside him to hold his hand. He could face anything knowing that she was going to be right there next to him throughout. And at the same time she made seeing such beautiful and miraculous sights so much more meaningful, knowing that he had shared them with her. He just couldn't imagine going on another adventure without her. She had added such a spark to it.

He'd never cried so much in all his nine hundred years. Come to think about it he had hardly ever cried. He felt such a release of pain and grief in finally letting go; he just let all his sorrows pour out of him, washing away down his face in an endless flood of bitter tears.

Somewhere in the distant world that was reality he suddenly felt something. Something that didn't make sense at all but didn't necessarily feel like a bad thing. It was a hand. A warm hand that had been gently placed on his shoulder, so lightly he could easily have missed it, lost in his grief. He slowly began to drift back to reality as he realised that there certainly shouldn't be a hand on his shoulder, and that he should probably consider being alarmed.

He felt a flood of confusion as he came back to his senses- yes, there _was_ definitely a hand on his shoulder. But it didn't feel threatening, in fact just the opposite. He felt a spark of hope light up inside of him, and suddenly felt angry at himself for hoping for the impossible- it would after all only lead to more heartbreak.

He cautiously turned his head and looked up through red, watery eyes. He was dreaming- he had to be. He blinked a few times, and rubbed the tears out of his eyes so that he could see properly. Still the same person stood before him, looking at him with deep concern in her unparalleled brown eyes.

"Rose?" He whispered nervously, afraid that she would disappear right in front of him should he let himself believe that she was real. A small smile spread across her face as tears welled up in her own eyes. Before either of them knew what was happening the Doctor had swept her up off her feet in a huge hug, gripping her tightly.

"Rose!" he said, louder now that he knew for sure she was real. "My Rose!" He clung onto her as if he would never let her go again- it had been such a long time since he had actually been able to _touch_ her. She held onto him just as tightly, taking in the warmth of his body. She remembered how heartbreaking it had been seeing him as just a hologram and not being able to touch him or feel any warmth- just a cold image to taunt her.

After what seemed an eternity of simply holding each other close, they gently released the grip enough to pull back and look each other in the eyes.

"I don't understand," The Doctor said softly, taking in every detail of her face, "how did you get here?" He looked at her affectionately, a warm smile spreading across his face.

"It's like you said," Rose began, wiping away her tears, "everything should have been returned to how it was originally once the rift was sealed, and the people to where they were before it all started. And I wasn't in that world, I was here in the TARDIS with you!" she laughed, ridiculously happy at how everything had still managed to work out, even after everything that had happened to them. The Doctor grinned broadly- he needn't have risked going through the rift, nor had an emotional breakdown about losing Rose- she was going to be returned to him all along! He mentally slapped himself at being so stupid.

"I can't believe it, I thought you were…" The Doctor drifted off, shaking his head in disbelief at how quickly and dramatically events seemed to be changing. Rose's eyes clouded with worry.

"Are you alright? I've never seen you so…" Rose didn't know how to describe it. One moment she'd been in the parallel Earth, terrified that Diane would be taken by the rift. She had dived for cover, and the next thing she knew she was on the TARDIS. It was almost as if it had been all been a surreal dream and she'd just opened her eyes. She had then seen the Doctor as she never had before; he had been curled up defensively on the chair in the console room, crying desperately into his arms as he clutched his knees to his chest. It had been so distressing for her to see him like that- he was always the strong one who never showed that he was deeply upset by something, or at least not like this. Not knowing what to do she'd simply placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and a warm tingle had run down her spine as she realised she'd made it back to him at long last, despite all the odds against them.

The Doctor dropped his gaze, ashamed that she'd seen him in that state. After all it had never happened before.

"I'm fine," He said feebly, and Rose pulled an exasperated face.

"I could see that you weren't," she said, slightly irritated that even now he wouldn't talk about it.

"I was just so scared that you were… I really thought I'd lost you…" He mumbled and finally looked up at her, and she saw fresh tears lingering in his eyes. She bit her lip, guilty that she had caused him to say that.

"I thought I might never see you again either," she replied, and couldn't stop the tears that began to creep their way down her cheeks. He attempted to smile at her reassuringly, but Rose could see straight through him. "But there's more troubling you isn't there?" His smile quickly faded. When he didn't reply, she looked at him expectantly, and he knew instantly he wasn't going to get out of this one.

"It wasn't just that I'd lost you," he spoke quietly, "it was that I'd failed you. It was my fault you were gone." It was then that she truly saw the pain in his eyes. He'd grieved her thinking it was all his fault.

"But it was beyond your control! You did everything you could have done to try and get me back- you couldn't have done more! Besides it's beyond the point. It's all in the past, I'm here now!" She smiled at him comfortingly, and he almost let himself be reassured, but he couldn't let that happen again.

"But it's not that simple. So you've survived all of our adventures so far, and this last one you only got back on luck. How long will it be before our luck runs out?" He looked at her seriously and she realised he'd been thinking on this for some time, "It's so hard for me to say this but I can't promise that I'll always be able to protect you."

"But I know you'll do everything you can, and that's good enough for me. Even if I knew I was going to die tomorrow I would still stay with you. This life you've shown me…" she paused, unable to summon words worthy to describe it, "I wouldn't trade it in for anything. And the day that I leave you will be the day that I die!" She grinned at him broadly. "Being separated from you has made me realise just how much I need you in my life! I can't live without you!" her tears began to pour down her face as she spilled her heart out to him. He hugged her tight again, a few of his own tears straying down his face.

"I wish I could tell you how much you mean to me too, but I don't think I could put it into words!" He spoke into her hair, his voice muffled. She only gripped him tighter, sobbing into his shoulder.

After another long embrace, they finally released their grip on each other. They just looked at each other affectionately, smiling contentedly.

"You should get some rest," The Doctor said after a while, looking over Rose's tearstained face and weary eyes.

"We both should," She replied rebelliously. _'Yep, Rose is definitely back,' _He thought to himself, nodding nonetheless. He couldn't express just how much of an understatement saying he was happy she was back would be. He had to admit it- life without her would be pretty grim. But he couldn't let himself dwell on that.

Yes, one day _somehow_ they would be separated, although he could guarantee they would both fight with all their hearts to prevent it. But whether it would be tomorrow or in twenty years he couldn't let that affect their lives. After all, what's the point in living a half life just because you're in fear of something that will inevitably happen one day anyway? He smiled at her as she yawned. He didn't want to waste a moment of his life with her; he still had so much to show her.

"Actually, could we go and visit my mum?" Rose asked sleepily, "I just need to see her, after her disappearing and then her home collapsing and everything."

"Of course," He said understandingly, secretly thrilled that she had called it Jackie's home, implying it was no longer hers. He knew it was true though. They were only home when they were with each other after all.

"Will my mum- I mean of that parallel world, will she be alright? She won't be alone?" Rose asked nervously,

"Well you were returned to me," he grinned at her, "So that should prove the theory that all the people taken by the rift were returned like nothing ever happened." She smiled back at him, reassured by his answer.

He strode around the TARDIS console, preparing to fly them back to 21st century London. The whole time he could feel her watching him, and he eventually spoke up, "Go and get some rest! Do you really want your mother to see you looking like that?" He said it firmly but smiled at her encouragingly. He shuddered at the thought of what Jackie would do to him if she knew what they'd both just been through.

Rose smiled at him knowingly, but didn't say anything. She knew ever since the Doctor had received that forceful slap from Jackie he had been afraid of her. Giving up she turned to leave the console room when a thought suddenly struck her.

"Wait," She started, turning back to the Doctor, "What happened to the Croulahrrs? Are we safe from them now?" She felt a chill run up her spine at the thought of the trouble they had caused, and what more they might be capable of putting them both through before they got their way. But her doubts were instantly banished by the mischievous grin that the Doctor flashed her.

"I don't think they'll be bothering us anymore." He looked at her deviously, and she raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Let's just say I left them a little parting gift." He grinned at her contagiously. "They were just far too confident in themselves."

"And you're not?" Rose retorted cheekily.

"Oi!" The Doctor looked at her offended, but before they knew it they'd both fallen about the TARDIS laughing.

xoxoxoxoxo

Somewhere in the far reaches of space, a massive ship- which would normally have been intimidating to most species- hung motionless in ruins.

"My leader," a Croulahrr guard approached a raging Serpor hesitantly, "We cannot hope to continue searching for the Doctor- the ship will not last!"

"Nonsense!" Serpor roared in defiance, "I will never give up chasing him!"

"But sir," The guard gulped, trembling with fear, "He's out of range, and the ship has been drained of its power supply and- we don't know how- but it's falling apart!" Serpor glowered at the guard, ready to take his anger out on him when another Croulahrr came onscreen.

"Sir, we found the source of the problem. A small device has been inserted into one of main control panels, and it's causing all of the ships systems to fail. We believe the device is Timelord," He said nervously, and Serpor's frown deepened, "We must evacuate the ship immedia-" The transmission was abruptly cut off and the computer spoke, _'Communications down'_.

The whole ship shook as the lights flickered out, to be replaced by a flashing red light and a warning message coming onscreen. For the first time Serpor looked concerned. He looked briefly over the message and his eyes widened. At that moment a flustered Croulahrr came rushing over to him, gasping for breath.

"My lord! The collection- they're all free!" He yelled frantically. Distant screams and explosions could be heard as Serpor's 'collection' of various species were released to seek their vengeance on the Croulahrrs for having been captured and imprisoned. Serpor shrank back from the noise.

"You," He pointed at the quaking Croulahrr beside him, "gather up all of our data on the Doctor and prepare to evacuate the ship," The Croulahrr looked down at his feet sheepishly, "What's wrong now?" Serpor bellowed.

"There was… something else we detected," He mumbled, avoiding Serpor's glare. "All of our information on the Doctor and his human girl has been corrupted by a _'Bad Wolf'_ virus. We don't know anything of its origin…" The Croulahrr drifted off, terrified of the fuming Serpor. Serpor just looked up out of the glass ceiling and up to the stars, shaking with fury.

There was a moral here, but whether or not Serpor could accept it was another issue.

_Never _come between the Doctor and his Rose.

**-THE END-**

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**_A/N: Of course I wasn't going to end it sadly! I despise the show for doing that to us (meaning doomsday) and yet I still love it -cries- that was how Doomsday should have ended. With a happy reunion! Anyway, I'm sorry for any flaws there were to my storyline- there were probably quite a few XD- but it's done now! A massive thanks to everyone who has kept reading this story and waited patiently while I went on holiday and had other delays with this last chapter, I am so grateful for all the fantastic reviews! And thanks to Chloe for pestering me to write this chapter! You guys are great!_**

**_For those who asked yes I do have another Doctor Who fanfic planned, but it's doubtful whether I'll get it started before the end of the summer holidays and even more unlikely it would be completed before I went back to school which puts me off because I'm going back to sixth form, and there is a chance there would be big delays between chapters or the story just not being completed at all. The storyline still needs quite a bit of work as well, but I'll see what I can do :D I don't want to waste my idea after all cause I really like it :)_**

**_Once again thanks for reading, hope to see you next fanfic!_**


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